By the 1960s, this attitude had become entrenched in police administration and law enforcement literature. Police Juvenile Enforcement declared that while a policewoman could be an asset, "a female officer is not a necessity."
Some even went so far as to suggest that male officers could simply dress as women for undercover work. In 1962, eight male officers did just that in order to trap muggers and rapists in New York City. "We want our men to look like housewives, not like Hollywood stars," explained Inspector Michael Codd, head of the tctical force. Twenty-seven-year-old patrolman Victor Ortiz wore white sandals, orange tapered pants, and a beige padded sweater on top of a bright print blouse. On hand to help the officers get ready were two policewomen, Caryl Collins and Dolores Munroe. The women stood by in their official uniforms as the men posed for the TV and newspaper cameras. Why teaching men to wear heels and put on lipstick was deemed more useful than simply deploying policewomen seems a question the reporters never asked. It's true that decoys did get attacked as part of these operations (that was the point), but all officers worked in teams with detectives standing by to apprehend suspects. In this instance, two of the disguised policemen had their purses snatched in Central Park and seven people were arrested in the overnight anti-mugging operation.

Police Honor System Only $15.64 Short
SAN DIEGO, Calif. (AP) — At the police headquarters coffee shop, the Police Relief Assn. reported in its monthly publication: "The honor system of paying for doughnuts and rolls accounted for a loss of only $15.64 during May."

In the late 1950s, Drs. Robert Matthews and Lloyd Rowland wrote a police training manual titled "How to Recognize and Handle Abnormal People," which was then distributed to sheriff and police departments throughout the U.S. The officers receiving it in the photo below look a little skeptical.

On September 14, 1967, Scotland Yard held a fashion show to display the new uniforms for policewomen. I suspect this is the ONLY fashion show Scotland Yard has ever held. The caption that ran in American papers read:

"Scotland Yard, apparently bitten by the swinging London bug, holds fashion show here 9/14. Here, London policewomen display the new Norman Hartnell-designed uniforms. Although a far cry from the miniskirted scene stealers, the new ensembles do have shaped skirts."

Cardboard cutouts of police cars are being used in China to slow speeders down. The instant response is universal, see a police car, hit the brakes, even when you're not speeding if you are anything like me. A clever idea if they are moved around. Switching the cardboard and real patrol cars around would keep the public guessing and slowing down 'just in case'.

Alex Boese
Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction books such as Elephants on Acid.

Paul Di Filippo
Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1.